Two ways to make oi sobagi

Oi sobagi (stuffed cucumber kimchi) is one of the many foods people enjoy in the summer. While many seek it out for its refreshing aroma and crunchy texture, it has the disadvantage that the crunchiness disappears and it becomes soft after just two weeks, making it difficult to prepare in large quantities. We will look into Baek Jong-won's method for making oi sobagi and a method for making extra crunchy oi sobagi.

Ingredients: Cucumber, water, fine salt, flour, red chili powder, sugar, fish sauce, saeujeot (salted fermented shrimp), minced garlic, minced ginger, garlic chives, carrot, onion

1. Cut off the stems at both ends of 5 cucumbers, divide each cucumber into four pieces, and make cross-shaped slits.

2. Dissolve 3 tablespoons of fine salt in a little more than half a cup of water. Pour the saltwater over the cucumbers in a bowl, toss them, and let them pickle for 40 minutes. Stir them at least twice during the pickling process.

3. In a pan, combine 1/3 cup of water and 1/2 tablespoon of flour, mixing well to make a paste. Once the paste is complete, let it cool.

4. Prepare the garlic chives by cutting them into 2–3 cm pieces, and julienne 1/3 of a carrot.

5. Add 1/4 of an onion, 1/3 cup of fish sauce, 1 tablespoon of saeujeot (salted fermented shrimp), and 1 tablespoon of sugar, then blend with a mixer.

6. Mix the blended seasoning with the paste, 2/3 cup of red chili powder, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, and 1/3 tablespoon of minced ginger, then add 2 cups of the prepared garlic chives and the julienned carrot, mixing well.

7. Stuff the pickled cucumbers with the seasoning and place them neatly in a container.

Ingredients: Cucumber, garlic chives, onion, radish, red chili powder, pear juice, jjokpa green onions, plum syrup, minced garlic, minced ginger, salt, saeujeot (salted fermented shrimp)

1. Briefly dip the cucumbers in boiling water for only 2–3 seconds.

2. Cut off the stems at both ends, cut the cucumbers into 4–5 cm pieces, and make cross-shaped slits.

3. Dissolve 600g of salt in 8L of water, then pickle the prepared cucumbers for 30 minutes.

4. Boil 100g of green onion roots, 100g of dried radish strips, 50g of dried shrimp, 50g of anchovies, 70g of shiitake mushrooms, onion, green onion, and onion skins over high heat for 10 minutes, then cover with a lid and boil over medium heat for about 20 minutes.

5. Add 50g of kelp to the broth and boil for another 10 minutes over medium heat.

6. After straining the solids from the broth, let it cool sufficiently at room temperature.

7. Cut 120g of garlic chives into 2cm pieces, and julienne then finely mince the onion and radish.

8. Add 30ml of the prepared broth and 70g of pear juice to the minced radish, then add 160g of red chili powder, onion, and garlic chives, and mix well.

9. Slice 2 jjokpa green onions into 1cm pieces, add 1 tablespoon of plum syrup, 3 tablespoons of minced garlic, 1/2 tablespoon of minced ginger, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and 5 tablespoons of saeujeot (salted fermented shrimp), then toss.

10. Stuff the seasoning into the cucumbers, pressing them with your hands to remove air.

11. Coat cabbage leaves with the seasoning, wrap them around the oi sobagi, and let it ferment to complete the extra crunchy oi sobagi.

[Fam Times = Reporter Kim Young-ji]